Tuesday, July 7, 2009

J is for Jam, Finally!

I've had no J for my ABC Along. But last week, it just happened. Olivia and Evan spent the afternoon and night because their parents won tickets to a concert. They always love to pick the raspberries when they come over. I inherited these plants and they are really invasive but they fruit twice a year and we love them. I spend a lot of time trying to whack them into submission and it's not really working too well. Every spring they're marching across the garden again.

The kids did a good job of picking all the red ones so there was enough to make a batch of jam.

Evan loves to cook and he's a really good helper but he was stirring so fast I couldn't get the picture focused.

For this one I made him stay still, very hard when you're seven and want to lick the spoon.

I just use the recipe from the back of the Sure-Jell package and we make freezer jam. Delicious! So this year J is for jam.

How fun for the kids! Your jam looks so pretty and delicious. I've never made jam before--- and a friend was just today describing to me her technique for freezer jam!She told me that she also freezes picked raspberries on cookie sheets and then gives little frozen packages as treats to friends. ;)

I'm so jealous! I want raspberry plants. I thought I had one in the side yard, so I transplanted it to the front yard where it would get more sun. It is NOT a raspberry plant. Come the Fall, I plan to fix that little problem.